Caricature Art For Any Event - Crazyben Caricatures

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in caricature art but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ben Percic, Founder and Caricature Artist of Crazyben Caricatures, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a professional caricature artist who draws digital or traditional caricatures of guests at trade shows, conventions, weddings, birthdays, and other types of corporate or private parties. My clients are organizers of an event who want to add live, unique entertainment for their guests to enjoy.

Tell us about yourself

I have always been interested in art, starting at a young age. Drawing cartoons and caricatures came naturally to me, and I would fill much of my time creating humorous illustrations. However, I pursued other career paths before starting my caricature art business.

Becoming a professional caricature artist drawing at live events requires a bit more than natural talent. You need to develop the ability to capture the resemblance of faces accurately and quickly in your own unique style. Drawing at live events in front of groups of people also requires a healthy dose of self-confidence and an interest in people in general. After having drawn with traditional marker on paper caricatures for the first 10 years of my art career, I learned to use emerging technology to create caricatures digitally. Now my clients can have digital drawings created with the use of a digital tablet and pen, view the caricatures on a monitor, and receive a colour printout and digital file for all to download after the event.

I am motivated by the independence of running my own business and providing great service to clients. Each day is different, and that's what makes this work so interesting - I receive requests on a daily basis by email, text, or phone call. Every week there are new and different venues to go to and a whole new group of people to draw. It's great to hear how much a client enjoys their very own personal caricature – they will very often have them framed and placed on a wall in their home. Over the years, I have received so much positive feedback from clients, which encourages me to continue pursuing this career.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I have managed to grow my caricature art business from an initially small number of events 20 years ago to over 130 events every year on a consistent basis. Some are repeat customers, but the majority are new clients who are celebrating a new event.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Initially, the hardest thing about being a business owner is to get sales coming in every day, week, or month. Reaching out and, networking, getting bookings on a consistent basis is a constant challenge for any business owner. Twenty years ago, a few of the ways to advertise were with the yellow pages, mailouts, cold-calling, and so on. Today there are so many more ways to market your business – especially with online advertising and using social media to broadcast your service and get the word out.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Know your product or service very well so that you have the confidence to sell yourself to any potential client. Mastering your craft at the early stages and as you progress will definitely build your knowledge and strengthen your ability to handle any client request. As time goes by, the experience of working on many projects just builds on that confidence which grows over time.
2. Stay organized by using technology to handle administrative tasks. This is such a big part of running a successful business – recording incoming requests, preparing the work, handling payments, completing projects on time with quick deadlines, and keeping detailed records.
3. Provide great service so that the customer is completely satisfied and will refer you to other potential clients. Give the client your best work and go over and beyond their expectations. The client should not need to be concerned or worry about how your performance will turn out – they should feel comfortable that your professional service is well worth the investment that they have made in you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://crazyben.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crazybencaricatures/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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